Jesus reveals himself as the Father's fully authorized Son. He gives life, will judge all people, and must be honored just as the Father is honored. His words, works, John the Baptist, the Father, the Scriptures, and Moses all testify to him, yet many still refuse to believe.

In this section, Jesus first explains his relationship to the Father, and then the signs in chapter 6 show how people respond to that revelation. The thread running through the whole passage is witness, revelation, and unbelief.

Jesus answers his opponents by explaining his relationship to the Father. When he says the Son can do nothing from himself, he is not denying his power or dignity. He is showing his perfect unity with the Father. The Son does not act independently, as if he were a rival to God. Rather, whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. This is not weakness, but equality expressed through perfect dependence and obedience. The Father loves the Son, shows him all that he is doing, and greater works are still to come.

Jesus then names two divine works that especially display his authority: giving life and executing judgment. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to whom he wills. In the same way, the Father has entrusted judgment to the Son. The purpose is clear: all people are to honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Refusing to honor Jesus, therefore, is a direct failure to honor the Father who sent him.

Jesus then states the promise of eternal life in personal terms. Whoever hears his word and believes the Father who sent him has eternal life now. That person does not come into condemnation, but has already crossed over from death into life. In John's Gospel, eternal life is not only future. It begins now for the believer. At the same time, Jesus also speaks of future resurrection, so salvation has both present and future dimensions.

In verse 25, the best reading is that “the dead” refers mainly to the spiritually dead in the present age. Jesus says the hour is coming and now is, pointing to a present work already underway. Those who hear the voice of the Son of God and respond live. But in verses 28–29, the focus shifts to a future bodily resurrection. There the language is plainly future and includes all who are in the tombs. Everyone will hear his voice and come out: some to a resurrection of life, and others to a resurrection of condemnation. So Jesus gives spiritual life now and will summon all humanity in the final resurrection.

When Jesus says that the Father granted the Son to have life in himself, he is speaking of the Son's unique relation to the Father, not of created inferiority. In the same way, the Son has authority to judge because he is the Son of Man, likely recalling Daniel 7, where the Son of Man receives dominion and judicial authority. Jesus' judgment is just because he does not seek his own will, but the will of the Father who sent him.

Jesus then turns to the matter of witness. When he says, “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true,” he does not mean his words are false in an absolute sense. Rather, in this legal setting, self-testimony by itself is not accepted as sufficient witness. So he points to other testimonies that confirm who he is.

First, there is John the Baptist. The leaders had sent to John, and John testified truthfully about Jesus. Jesus does not depend on human approval, but he mentions John's witness for their sake, so that they may be saved. John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a time they gladly enjoyed his light. Yet they did not follow where that light pointed.

Second, Jesus' works testify to him. The deeds the Father gave him to complete show that the Father sent him. These works are a greater testimony than John's words because they visibly display divine power and mission.

Third, the Father himself has testified about the Son. Yet Jesus tells his opponents that they have neither heard God's voice nor had his word abiding in them in a saving way, because they do not believe the one he sent. Their unbelief shows that God's word is not truly dwelling in them.

Fourth, the Scriptures testify about Jesus. His opponents search the Scriptures because they think that in them they possess eternal life. The problem is not that Scripture is unimportant, but that Scripture was never meant to be handled apart from the One to whom it points. They study the sacred writings, yet refuse to come to Jesus for life. This is a severe warning: careful Bible study, religious heritage, and confidence in tradition cannot save if a person refuses the Christ to whom Scripture bears witness.

Jesus then exposes the deeper reason for their unbelief. He is not seeking praise from people, but they do not have the love of God within them. They reject the one who comes in the Father's name, yet are ready to receive someone who comes in his own name. Their desire for honor from one another blocks true faith, because they are not seeking the honor that comes from the only God. Their problem is not a lack of evidence. It is moral unwillingness.

Jesus closes this section by saying that Moses himself will accuse them. If they truly believed Moses, they would believe Jesus, because Moses wrote about him. This includes the Mosaic witness that points forward to the coming one God promised. Their failure to believe Jesus shows that they do not truly believe the writings they claim to honor.

Chapter 6 then moves from discourse to signs, but the theme remains the same. A great crowd follows Jesus because they see the signs he is doing on the sick. Near Passover, Jesus tests Philip by asking where bread can be found for the crowd. Philip calculates the cost and sees the impossibility. Andrew finds a boy with five barley loaves and two fish, but this also seems far too little. Jesus already knows what he will do.

Jesus has the people sit down, gives thanks, and distributes the food. Everyone eats as much as they want. When the meal is over, twelve baskets of leftovers remain. The sign displays Jesus' complete sufficiency. He provides not barely enough, but abundantly. In the Passover setting, and with miraculous bread, the scene naturally recalls God's provision in the days of Moses and prepares for what follows later in the chapter.

The people conclude that Jesus is “the Prophet who is to come into the world,” echoing the promise of a prophet like Moses. That response contains an element of truth, but it is still inadequate. They want to seize him and make him king by force. They want a Messiah on their own terms, one who meets political hopes and earthly needs. Jesus withdraws because their enthusiasm is not the same as true faith. Admiration for miracles and desire for benefits do not equal submission to his actual mission.

The final sign in this section takes place on the sea. The disciples are crossing the lake in the dark, with strong wind and rough water. Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. This is not merely another display of power over nature. It deepens the revelation of who he is. His words, “It is I; do not be afraid,” bring needed reassurance, and the whole scene presents Jesus exercising sovereign mastery that belongs to God alone. The frightened disciples are calmed by his presence, and the boat immediately reaches the shore.

Taken together, this whole section presses one central issue: Jesus has been sufficiently revealed. The Father has borne witness to him through works, Scripture, and appointed testimony. The Son gives life now, will raise the dead on the last day, and will judge all people. The issue, then, is not whether enough evidence has been given, but whether people are willing to come to him, honor him, and believe. Signs can draw attention, but they also expose the heart. People may seek Jesus for relief, bread, excitement, or political hope and still remain in unbelief. True faith hears his word, receives him as the Father's Son, and so passes from death into life.

Key Truths: - The Son acts in perfect unity with the Father and must be honored as the Father is honored. - Jesus gives eternal life now to believers and will raise all people for final judgment in the future. - The witnesses to Jesus are many: John the Baptist, Jesus' works, the Father, the Scriptures, and Moses. - Unbelief is not merely intellectual; it is tied to wrong loves, desire for human praise, and refusal to come to Christ. - The feeding and sea signs reveal Jesus' divine sufficiency and authority, yet signs alone do not produce true faith.